Mediasnoops 2009 Predictions

Well 2008 is nearly as dead as a dino and 2009 is just two days away. So as per usual we shall end the year with a look ahead to what we think will happen next year.
So here we go then…

JANUARY
Major supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda put “lads mags” on the top shelf. The government bans Page Three. The Sun newspaper launches a campaign against the ban blasting the “nanny state”. Then a few weeks later an ultra violent video game comes out and The Sun newspaper is amongst the loudest voices calling it for it to be banned.

FEBRUARY
The government bans supermarkets from selling cut price alcohol and pubs, clubs and bars are banned from offering cut price offers on booze and “Happy Hours” in measures to curb binge drinking.
Ofcom bans all adverts of alcohol and orders soap operas and dramas to show people drinking as having a miserable depressing time and for any association with drinking and having a good time done away with.
As the recession hits harder and thousands are cast onto the dole more and more people turn to drink to drown their sorrows and binge drinking goes up. But the government maintains that as long as people are banned from getting cheap booze and booze adverts are off the TV there isn’t a problem.

MARCH
An ultra violent video game called NutJob is released for the Nintendo Wii. Mediawatch UK director John Beyer demands that the BBFC refuse it a classification. Hundreds of video game fans email Mediawatch UK telling them to “SHUT THE FUCK UP!”
Beyer is dismayed and bewilded by such a hostile response and maintains that Mediawatch UK are only trying to save society from evil violent video games.

APRIL
A story about a forthcoming controversial programme on Channel 4 which apparently follows people who like to sniff highlighter pens appears in the Daily Mail. John Beyer condems the programme which is yet to air as irresponsible and accuses the programme makers of encouraging viewers to sniff highlighter pens. He calls on the government to intervene to stop the programme airing. The show later goes out and it turns out it’s actually about people who have a phobia of highlighter pens and picutures of someone from the show sniffing a highlighter pen was actually them being exposed to the smell of highlighter pens to curb their phobia.

MAY
Anti-video game violence crusading MP demands that all football games do not feature the ability to foul opposing players as it can encourage children to go around hacking people down with two footed tackles on the streets. Football game developers duly oblige and soon every football game becomes as far removed from the real thing as humanly possible.

JUNE
Jamie Oliver is shown on his TV show fishing. Animal rights group PETA condem such blatent cruelty being shown on TV and demand Oliver has a hook shoved through his mouth like fish do.
The public agree as at least it will shut his preaching houlier than thou gob up!

JULY
With the summer blockbuster season in full swing the Daily Mail, Tory MP Julian Brazier and Mediawatch UK’s John Beyer round on the BBFC for giving Spiderman 4: My Spidersenses Are Telling Me I Should Move On From On This Shit! a 12A rating when it features the slight glimps of a bare breast. Daily Mail film critic Christopher Tookey bemoans the wet Guardian reading lefty librels at the BBFC for allowing filth, sex and depravity to be seen by youngsters and asks why it’s any wonder kids are bonking each other left right and centre.

AUGUST
A Dutch film maker is shot dead by Isalmic extremists after he makes a film called WHY ISLAM ISN’T THE GREATEST THING SINCE SLICED BREAD! The Socialist Workers Party celebrates such a glorious resistance to Western Islamophobic imperalism and angry Muslims burn sliced bread in the streets.

SEPTEMBER
Not to be outdone by angry and offended Muslims Christians find some obscure TV show that pops up late one night on Channel 4 where Jesus as portrayed as a gay. Christian Voice demands that Channel 4 bosses are put in stocks so they can have not very nice things said to them by fellow Christians who are bit peeved.

OCTOBER
Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson enrages charities campaigning for people with severe flatulence by making an off the guff remark about people with severe flatulence. The Daily Mail print a two page spread listing all of Clarkson’s previous TV faux pais.

NOVEMBER
Two attention seeking “comedians” phone up the offices of the Daily Mail for a prank call on a Radio 2 show. They pretend to be gay, Muslim, an immigrant and a socialist Marxist loving feminist. The Daily Mail goes into rampent outrage demanding heads roll and says that this proves that the BBC is run by PC Guardian reading lefty librels who want to destroy society and the minds of the young.

DECEMBER
It’s Christmas and as per usual the BBC puts on something rather non-Christian that offends the usual permanetly offended Christians. The Daily Mail bangs on about how the BBC is trying to undermine our countries “Christian values” and Stephen Green of Christian Voice yells “THEY’D NEVER DO THIS IF IT WERE ABOUT ISLAM!!!”

2008..A year of sensationalist reactionary bollox

Since Mediasnoops began in 2004 it is been our aim to keep an eye on the reactionary sensationalist bollox not just of our self appointed moral guardians but their mouthpiecies the tabloid press.
Since the tabloid press works in cahoots with those who claim to know what is and is not best for us to see and hear it makes sense that they do their best to help along the reactionary senstalist bollox agendas and crusades of such people.
The Daily Mail are preety much best buddies with John Beyer and Mediawatch UK are feed Beyer stories of “filth” on TV to which he duly adds a quote of suitable moral outrage. It’s a you scratch our back and we’ll scratch yours set up which works well for both.
Most of the time it’s preety harmless stuff and does very little other than to make both parties look preety downright stupid.
But sometimes it results in needless mass outrage which overshadow things going on in the world which are far more worthy of the attention of the media and the public.
2008 saw several prime cases of this and none more so than the engineered furore over the ill judged prank calls by Johnathon Ross and Russel Brand to the comedian Andrew Sachs on a Radio 2 show.
What started off as a stupid prank call to an old man by two mindless “comics” turned into a national outrage and scandel of epic proportions.
Originally just two people complained about the programme but after it was splashed all over the front page of the Mail On Sunday, who have a huge axe to grind against the BBC thousands of people had phoned and written letters of complain and publicity hungry politicians seeking a bandwagon to jump on had piled in calling for heads to role.
The right-wing hacks of the Daily Mail ceased on an opportunity to plunge the knife into Britain’s major broadcasting corperation which they view as being run by so called “Guardian reading lefty librels” who apparently want to corrupt the nation’s youth by filling their heads with swearing and filth.
And hotheads like Peter Hitchens used the furore to wheeled their own axe to grind against the BBC for having a political agenda which is not the kind of right-wing xenophobic, homophobic bible bashing Tory propaganda they believe a British Broadcasting Corperation should be putting out.
In their minds the BBC will only be satisfactory when it starts pushing a pro-America/Israel line which is totally uncritical of the looney right-wing and puts a spin on every news item related to foriegners, immigrants, asylum seekers and gays which goes along with what the blue rinsed middle England brigade believe.
In other words the Hitchens of this world will only ever be happy when the BBC becomes the Daily Mail!
Whilst the fury over the Brand/Russel affair got hotter more important issues were ignored. The Prime Minister saw it as a perfect opportunity to bury the looming financial crises that resulted in thousands of people cast onto the dole que and even the forthcoming election of the most powerful man in the world…the President of the USA was pushed down the bottom of priorities.
Tabloids like the Daily Mail are forever bemoaning the way our culture pushes celebritiy and trivial nonscence to the forefront of news above everything else but here they were helping such trivial nonscence along…. in order to sell newspapers and have a go at their loathed and despised BBC!
Whilst this sensationalist bollox mearly served to usurpe more important news items another piece of sensationalist bollox had the potential to ruin a career.
The controversial Canadian pop singer Katy Perry found herself at the centre of a storm of outrage after The Sun newspaper printed a picture of her holding a knife whilst looking seductive. The Sun newspaper neglected (or just didn’t fucking bother because otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to whip up a storm of outrage to sell their shitty “newspaper”) to inform readers that the picture was taken THREE years ago for an album cover which was deamed inappropriate by Perry and her management.
But The Sun delibratly printed this picture with the intent of framing Perry as a condoner and glamouriser of knife crime and went hell for leather to make her out to look like a monster who apparently cares nothing of the pain and suffering that knife crime causes.
The relatives of knife victims were wheeled out to condem Perry and and add a suitable piece of emotional blackmail to the “story”.
And anti-knife crime campaigners all so quick to jump on bandwagons to promote their (otherwise justifiable of course) causes didn’t bother to check if The Scum had got their facts right.
The Sun’s “The Sun Says” section blatently lied that Perry was “responding to the violence on our streets” by posing with a knife…as if she’s responsible for knife crime.
Perry retorted in a humorous manner by posing for another picture with a spoon with the words “But I do condone the eating of ice cream with a large spoon!”
Outraged at the audacity of Perry daring to answer back (because of course the word of The Sun is gosepl!) The Sun engineered more blatent lies by again wheeling out the relatives of knife crime victims to paint Perry as a callous heartless monster who mocks and derides their pain!
The father of Damilola Taylor said “She could have done something positive but instead she is challenging us”. But it was obvious Perry was challenging The Sun and their lies!
And she was challenging the level of cheap, made up sensationalist bollox that passes for “journalism” these days!
Anti-knife groups demanded Perry be dropped as the host of the MTV awards but she went ahead and presented it anyway and the furore never harmed her career one bit. That’s probably because most of her fans could see through the blatent lies of The Sun newspaper and a “story” that was completly made up in an attempt to smear her and damager her career.
Our self appointed moral guardians kept their flags flying. John Beyer suddenly became an expert it what is and is not good for the “family friendly” Nintendo Wii console as he called on the BBFC to refuse to grant the ultra violent Mad World a classification based on what he had read in his favourite rag the Daily Mail.
Beyer and Mediawatch UK were quite shocked when hundreds of video game fans peterbed by their desire to stop them playing violent video games to go forth and multiply.
2008 saw Beyer become the publicity machine for outrage provoking video games, films and TV shows. Inadvertantly of course. As usual he failed to see the irony of calling for video games to be banned and then hundreds of people going out to buy them en mass!
2008 was a big year in the world of the self appointed moral guardians and the reactionary, sensationalist trivial bollox of the tabloid newspapers that push their crusades helped them along nicely!

Daily Mail blast C4’s Xmas Iran President message a “cheap stunt”

It was designed to provoke outrage! And it has!

From the Daily Mail:

Another cheap stunt from TV bosses
Last updated at 9:52 AM on 26th December 2008

Channel 4, which prides itself on its ‘cutting edge’ output,
doubtless intended to stir controversy by broadcasting an alternative
Christmas Day message from Iran’s tyrannical, holocaust-denying, anti-
Semitic president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
And, predictably, it succeeded. The Government led the condemnation,
warning that handing the platform to such a dangerous fanatic would
cause offence ‘not just at home but amongst friendly countries
abroad’.

But before Channel 4 pats itself smugly on the back for securing free
publicity around the globe, it should consider how many of its own
viewers it has managed to offend.
The abuses perpetrated by the Ahmadinejad regime against women and
homosexuals are inimical to everything Channel 4 and its viewers
represent.
Far from being clever, this was yet another cheap stunt in a year in
which broadcasters, from the BBC and ITV to Sky TV and Channel 4,
have heaped ever more ignominy upon themselves.

“The abuses perpetrated by the Ahmadinejad regime against women and
homosexuals.”

It’s always hilarious how the Daily Mail is suddenly concerned about
homosexuals and women when it suits them. Normally they couldn’t give
a fuck about the rights of gays but when it’s some mad Muslim ranting
fanatic who’s having a go at gays they suddenly get all pro gay and
start concerning themselves about the rights of homosexuals.

In Daily Mail land being homophobic is perfectly acceptable….but
not if you are a Muslim or the leader of one of the right-wing’s
unfancied middle Eastern regiemes.

“are inimical to everything Channel 4 and its viewers represent.”

What those wet, PC society destroying children corrupting lefty
librels who want to rip up everything that the Daily Mail and their
Tory readers hold dear? Those Guardian reading Musli eating types who
want to let peadeophiles roam the streets freely and allow hooked
handed Muslim mentalist mullahs spout anti British retoric on the
streets of the United Kingdom? Oh yes the Daily Mail are so concerned
with their feelings!

Lol!

As for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, we certainly hold no truck with
him. Iran is indeed a tyranical society where the rights of it’s
people are trampled on. It’s a country ruled by Islamic
fundamentalism where people are forced by law to abide by strict
religious rules.

But the double standards of the Daily Mail and the Tory right-wing
are hilarious!

Beyer bleats about Xmas soap opera misery

Indeed soap operas are full of doom and gloom all year round and get even more miserable and depressing at Christmas.

Mediasnoops will be staying well clear. But if it’s what tickles other’s fancy that’s up to them Johnny Boy!

From the Daily Mail courtesy of the Melon Farmers:

 

On the 12th day of Christmas, my TV gave to me… a feast of misery and violence

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 7:44 AM on 23rd December 2008

 

If you expect festive cheer from your favourite soap this week, you’ll be disappointed.

For TV writers have been doing their best to give us the bleakest Christmas on record.

A corpse in a lake, the attempted strangling of a pensioner, a baby abduction and the return of a notorious killer and drug addict, will feature in some of the most popular shows.

In a cheery and festive Coronation Street episode, Jed Stone (Kenneth Cope) comes to the factory to try and squeeze more money out of Tony Gordon (Gray O’Brien)

 

And producers have been accused of ‘upping the ante’ on the last year’s Christmas shock tactics to win the ratings war.

 

Critics believe that soap operas are excusing shocking storylines by saying they are in the public interest.

Coronation Street will arguably be home to the most dramatic storyline, as one of the older characters is throttled with a negligee. Jed Stone falls foul of Tony Gordon at the factory.

Lashing out: In Emmerdale Jasmine protects her friend Debbie by hitting -and killing – Shane with a chair leg, they then dispose of his body in a lake

 

 

It would not be Christmas without turmoil at the Platt’s residence, where Gail’s celebrations turn into a violent food fight.

On Emmerdale, a dead body is discovered in an ice-covered lake after another character falls in.

And in EastEnders, character Sean Slater kidnaps the baby he thought was his and takes her to a deserted flat on Christmas Day. Then on the New Year’s day show he falls into an icy lake with his estranged wife Roxy, before leaving the show in a dramatic fashion.

Dramatic moment: On the New Year’s day EastEnders  show Sean Slaterfalls into an icy lake with his estranged wife Roxy

Walford writers will also bring back the area’s most unpleasant character – the drug addict and murderer ‘Nasty’ Nick Cotton.

And as the credit crunch takes hold, Ian Beale bans Christmas, before he is kicked out of the house by his wife.

Last year, the EastEnders Christmas special was the most watched show of 2007, with 13.9million viewers.

 

Look who’s back: Walford writers will bring back the area’s most unpleasant character – the drug addict and murderer ‘Nasty’ Nick Cotton

 

In that episode, Bradley Branning uncovered his father Max’s affair with his new wife Stacey.

John Beyer, of the TV pressure group Mediawatch-UK, said the soap shock-tactics were out of control.

‘I just think there is enough doom and gloom around at the moment,’ he said. ‘Everyone’s Christmas should be a time of joy and peace, not a misery fest.

‘Once again I feel like broadcasters are out of step with public feeling.’

He added: ‘They are all competing with each other to get the biggest audiences.

‘They keep upping the ante to try to keep the ratings up and the logical conclusion is that they will end up alienating the audience.’

 

“I just think there is enough doom and gloom around at the moment,’ he said. ‘Everyone’s Christmas should be a time of joy and peace, not a misery fest. “

With the credit crunch, recession and mass unemployment chances are people won’t need soap operas to make their Christmas a misery fest.

Hey Johnny Boy wants us all to have a merry fun Christmas! Yay!!! Just as long as we are not spending it looking at anything he thinks we shouldn’t be! Tee hee!

“Once again I feel like broadcasters are out of step with public feeling.”

Hmm. Chances are the viewing figures for all this doom, gloom and misery will be very high so we’d suggest Beyer is out of step with public feeling.

“He added: ‘They are all competing with each other to get the biggest audiences. “

No shit shirlock! And mass tabloid newspaper coverage with outraged quotes from Beyer will ensure they do get the biggest audience.

“They keep upping the ante to try to keep the ratings up and the logical conclusion is that they will end up alienating the audience.”

That remains to be seen. If viewing figures drop then mabye Johnny Boy for once in his life has a point. Maybe!

Mediasnoops agrees that soap operas are miserable and depressing especially at Christmas. But we suspect viewers of soap operas will tune in en mass and result in them being ratings winners during this festive season. Viewers of soap operas want to see shocking storylines and will tune in in their droves to get their Christmas fill of misery and depression.

Beyer should realise misery sells! Sadly!

 

 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Mediasnoops wishes everyone, even our self appointed moral guardians, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

BBC bashers up in arms over “horror porn”

Well it makes a change to the usual right-wing tabloid stories of Muslims banning Christmas! It’s still open season on the BBC!

From the Sunday Express:

BBC FUNDS HORROR PORN 

Sunday December 14,2008

By David Jarvis  Have your say(21)

A horror film backed by the BBC, which echoes the story of serial killers Fred and Rose West, has sparked fury after it emerged it will be shown on television and in cinemas over Christmas.

The low-budget feature-length film, partly funded by £10,000 of licence-payers’ cash, shows scenes reminiscent of the Wests’ campaign of murder in which they tortured at least 12 girls to death, many in their home in Cromwell Street, Gloucester.

Relatives of the Wests’ victims, MPs and TV watchdogs have slammed the timing of the release of Mum & Dad and accused the BBC of insensitivity and misspending licence fee money.

The company distributing the film admits “there are clear parallels with the Fred and Rosemary West story”. And director Steven Sheil says it is “not for the faint-hearted”.

It will be released in cinemas  on Boxing Day and will be available on DVD, on Sky and Virgin pay per view channels and as an internet download.

The BBC said it was not responsible for the release pattern and would not be showing it on any of its channels. Last night Peter Bastholm, 64, whose sister Mary, 15, vanished in 1968 and is thought to have been one of at least 20 more victims of the Wests whose bodies have never been found, said the BBC had been “hugely insensitive”.

Tory MP Nigel Evans, who sits on the culture, media and sport select committee, said the timing of the release and use of licence payers’ money was a “disgrace”. He said: “The timing is sick and it’s a sick film.

“It confirms that the BBC do not live in the real world as far as I’m concerned.”
“Relatives of the Wests’ victims, MPs and TV watchdogs have slammed the timing of the release of Mum & Dad and accused the BBC of insensitivity and misspending licence fee money.”

Relatives? Erm as far as we can see only one relative has been quoted here. So where’s the rest? Couldn’t be a case of the Sunday Express wheling out one relative to help push the outrage as far as possible could it? Nahhh!
“The timing is sick and it’s a sick film.”

It’s a sick film! Although it’s not been released yet and I haven’t seen it I say it’s a sick film!

Lol!
“It confirms that the BBC do not live in the real world as far as I’m concerned.”

And niether do most Tory politicians as far as we’re concerned!
“It will be released in cinemas  on Boxing Day and will be available on DVD, on Sky and Virgin pay per view channels and as an internet download.

The BBC said it was not responsible for the release pattern and would not be showing it on any of its channels.”

So hardly anyone’s going to see it then. But the mere fact that it has been made at all is enough to cause moral outrage? Ahh yes!

Oh and BBC don’t try and defend yourself. The right-wing Tory press never let the facts get in the way of good old fashioned moral indignation. You are as guilty as sin and might as well let yourself be subject to public floggins by angry Sunday Express and Daily Mail readers who of course represent the licence fee payers of this country.

Beyer gets mug shot in Mail’s backlash against sex ed show

The Daily Mail believes it’s about time they put a face to the name of one of their best loved rent-a-quotes.

From the Daily Mail:

Backlash over Channel 4’s ‘disgusting’ morning sex show

By Paul Revoir

Mediawatch UK’s John Beyer has called for Ofcom to act over Channel 4’s sex education show

Channel 4 has been hit with a string of complaints over a ‘disgusting’ sex education series screened at a time when young children could be watching.

KNTV Sex, described by the channel as the ‘alternative guide to sex education,’ goes out at 11am on weekdays.

Aimed at 14 to 19-year-olds, it covers issues such as masturbation, sexually-transmitted diseases, fetishes, bisexuality and homosexuality.

It was among the most controversial programmes on Channel 4 last month, attracting 100 complaints from viewers.

One said: ‘I cannot believe that C4 would put such a disturbing programme on the air at 11am. The programme is not teaching anything except that sex is something amazing that you should do – it’s absolutely disgusting.’

John Beyer of TV pressure group Mediawatch UK said: ‘I think there are questions of compliance and how this show works with the broadcasting codes and the protection of children. Ofcom needs to look at this.

‘The trouble is that Channel 4 just do what they want to do.’

Norman Wells of Family and Youth Concern said: ‘Once again Channel 4 is seeking to push back the boundaries of what constitutes acceptable material for daytime television. The last thing children and young people need is another TV series that trivialises and cheapens sex and divorces it from any moral context.’

The complaints come not long after a row over another pre-watershed sex education series on Channel 4.

The Sex Education Show, which was screened at 8pm, sparked more than 200 complaints and led to accusations that the broadcaster was ‘peddling obscenity’ before the 9pm watershed.

KNTV Sex combines animation and comedy clips taken from TV shows.

It is presented by the animated characters Kierky and Nietzsche, two teenagers from the fictional country of Slabovia, which is described as the ‘last communist state in Europe’.

Topics covered on the show include Operation Penis and ‘amazing sex facts’.

A Channel 4 spokesman said last night it ‘takes a new approach to dealing with important issues around sex and relationships education for a teenage audience’.

He added: ‘This series is based on information and advice from both sexual health charities and teachers. There is no explicit imagery and the content is suitable for the morning schedule.’

 Beyer’s mug glares out of the page as if he’s a man of huge importance.

“I think there are questions of compliance and how this show works with the broadcasting codes and the protection of children. Ofcom needs to look at this.”

Protection of chidren. Obviously Beyer thinks this programme will corrupt children.

“It was among the most controversial programmes on Channel 4 last month, attracting 100 complaints from viewers.
One said: ‘I cannot believe that C4 would put such a disturbing programme on the air at 11am. The programme is not teaching anything except that sex is something amazing that you should do – it’s absolutely disgusting.’ “

It’s hardly distrubing! It’s preety humourous, silly and sometimes immature in some parts. But it’s hardly disturbing.

“except that sex is something amazing that you should do”

Would it be better if the programme taught that sex is horrible, dirty and evil and is something you should never ever do apart from if you want to procreate?

“The last thing children and young people need is another TV series that trivialises and cheapens sex and divorces it from any moral context.’ “

Possibly. But the equally the last thing children and young people need is a TV series that shows sex as something that’s seedy and grubby and peddles the morality of the Daily Mail, Mediawatch UK and Family Youth Concern.

From what we’ve seen of this programme it seems children won’t learn anything from it and will see it all as a bit of a laugh. But the idea that they will go around bonking left right and centre after watching it (as the self appointed moral guardians fear) is as equally ludicrous as the show itself.

Beyer “anxious” about euthinasia docu

What angers Beyer the most? The fact that a TV programme is going to show a man ending his own life or that a pro-euthinasia documentary is being allowed to be aired at all?

From The Times:

Professor Craig Ewert’s final moments to be broadcast on TV

Simon de Bruxelles
A former university professor with motor neuron disease will be seen ending his life in a documentary to be broadcast tonight — the first time that an assisted suicide has been televised in Britain.

In the footage Craig Ewert travels from his home in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, to the Dignitas clinic in Zurich accompanied by Mary, his wife of 37 years. He is shown drinking a lethal dose of barbiturates before turning off his ventilator with a mouth-operated switch. The decision to broadcast Right to Die on Sky television’s Real Lives channel has been condemned by the television watchdog Mediawatch-UK.

Mr Ewert, 59, an American father of two who moved to Britain after taking early retirement, was told that he had the disease in April 2006 and was given between two and five years to live. The illness progressed far more rapidly than expected and before his death on September 26, 2006, he needed assistance to breathe.

Mr Ewart, whose death was recorded by a film crew, said: “I am tired of the disease but I am not tired of living. I still enjoy life enough that I would like to continue, but the thing is that I really cannot. If I opt for life then that is choosing to be tortured rather than end this journey and start the next one. I cannot take the risk. Let’s face it, when you’re completely paralysed and cannot talk, how do you let somebody know you are suffering? This could be a complete and utter hell.

“You can watch only so much of yourself drain away before you look at what is left and say, ‘This is an empty shell’. Once I become completely paralysed, then I am nothing more than a living tomb that takes in nutrients through a tube in the stomach. It’s painful.”

Mr Ewert paid £3,000 for the assisted suicide, his cremation and his ashes to be sent back to England. As his wife told him that she loved him, he bit down on a timer to switch off his ventilator and then drank a lethal dose of sodium phenobarbital through a straw. He died 45 minutes later.

Before taking his life Mr Ewert told the film crew: “By this point I have two choices, either go through with it or say, ‘You know what, I am too scared right now and I do not want to do it.’ If I do not go through with it then my choice is to suffer and to en- force suffering on my family and then die in a way that is considerably more stressful and painful. I have death or I have suffering and death. This way makes a whole lot of sense to me.”

The Ewerts’ children — Katrina, 33, and Ivan, 35 — were banned from being at his deathbed. Katrina said: “I really did not want to have to make the decision of whether I was going to be there or not. Part of me would have liked to have been there and part of me thought it was going to be really hard. My Dad was a great guy and I love him very much.”

John Beyer, of Mediawatch-UK, said: “This subject is quite an important political issue at the moment and my anxieties are that the programme will influence public opinion. Broadcasters must always remain impartial, otherwise they could influence the public or other sufferers into making a similar action. That’s my anxiety.”

The documentary was made by John Zaritsky, the Oscar-winning Canadian director. He was granted unprecedented access to the right-to-die organisation Dignitas, which has helped more than 700 people from 25 countries to die since 1999. Switzerland is the only country where assisted suicide is legal for non-residents.

Mrs Ewert, 59, said the programme was a “wonderful tribute” to her husband’s life. “I have absolutely no regrets about agreeing to leave the camera rolling as Craig died,” she said. “It’s what we both wanted. The only time I asked the crew to leave was around 30 minutes after Craig had died. I needed to cry and I wanted to do that alone.” She said that her husband hoped that the film would dispel a taboo about death. “Craig had been a teacher, and you could say he made this film with his educative hat on.”

Barbara Gibbon, head of Sky Real Lives, said: “By any standards, the decision to take your own life takes a great deal of courage. To share this moment with a TV audience, as Craig Ewert did, and manage to remain articulate right up until the end, takes exceptional courage. The result is a powerful piece of television.”

She said that it was important for broadcasters to stimulate debate on the subject.

Right to Die will be broadcast at 9pm. Real Lives is operated by BSkyB, in which News Corporation, parent company of The Times, has a 39.1 per cent stake.
“This subject is quite an important political issue at the moment and my anxieties are that the programme will influence public opinion.”

Influence public opinion to agreeing with something which Beyer and the Christian right-wing disagree with.

“Broadcasters must always remain impartial.”

If this was a programme saying euthinasia is wrong and should not be allowed Beyer would not be worried about impartiality!

“Otherwise they could influence the public or other sufferers into making a similar action.”

The debate about euthinasia is more completed than what appears on TV Johnny Boy!

Mediasnoops suspects that what irks Beyer and his mates is that a programme which seems to condone euthinasia and assisted suicide is allowed to be aired at all.

Comic Carr now in tabloid’s sight over “sick” Karren Matthews joke

They are probably tuns of Karen Matthews jokes being put on the internet as we speek. Are MPs like Shahid Malik going to voice outrage over them?
Doubtful, not enough scope for free publicity in the tabloids you see.

From the Daily Mail:

‘I was insensitive’: Comedian Alan Carr apologises over ’sick’ Karen Matthews quip

By Daily Mail Reporter
Alan Carr has apologised for dedicating a comedy award to kidnapper Karen Matthews.

Carr, who was condemned as “sick” by a Government minister, said: ‘I realise what I said about Karen Matthews was insensitive and am very sorry for any offence this may have caused.’
At the British Comedy Awards, Carr told reporters that Matthews was a ‘gay icon’, adding: ‘People like a bit of rough don’t they?’

Junior Justice Minister Shahid Malik said the timing of Carr’s remarks could not have been worse.
Mr Malik, who is also MP for Matthews’ constituency of Dewsbury, said: ‘I think Alan Carr can be funny on occasion but I think last night he really let himself down.
‘The timing couldn’t be worse. I think most people think it to be both sick and insensitive and people will be disgusted with him at a time when many people are looking very closely at the comic/comedian profession anyway.’
He added: ‘This isn’t a helpful contribution either to the sad case of Shannon Matthews where we’ve only just got a conviction, and

Michael Donovan and Karen Matthews haven’t even been sentenced yet.’
Matthews and Donovan were convicted last week of the kidnap of her nine-year-old daughter Shannon. The youngster was drugged and imprisoned for 24 days in a desperate plan to claim £50,000 in reward money.

 Carr spoke to reporters backstage on Saturday night after being awarded Best Comedy Entertainment Personality for his Friday Night Project and Sunday Night Project shows.

He said that he originally planned his Celebrity Ding Dong sketch to feature rough women not fashionistas.

‘It didn’t work out because they couldn’t cast it. I suppose it is a bit difficult to find rough women. I suppose Shannon Matthews’ mum was busy,’ he said.
‘Oh yeah, she would be my dream guest. I think she’s a gay icon. People like a bit of rough don’t they?’

Carr added: ‘I must be obsessed with her actually if you look at my Google searches. So I should dedicate this award to her.’
“I think most people think it to be both sick and insensitive and people will be disgusted with him.”

Dunno. Maybe most people will maybe most people won’t Either way Mr Malik is going to offended on most people’s behalf.

“at a time when many people are looking very closely at the comic/comedian profession anyway.’”

“Many people”. You mean publicity hungry MPs such as yourself, the Daily Mail and self appointed moral guardians are “looking very closely” at the comic/comedian profession.

If anything Alan Carr is guilty is of an error of judgement when the hysterical tabloid media and self serving politicians are seeking to jump on the slightest thing a comedians does or said following the Brand/Ross outrage.

Lads mags report to recomend age ratings

It’s nice to see MPs doing reports on things that are so important.
World poverty, starvation, disease, children suffering, war,
terrorism etc. Nah gotta do a report on lads mags which are of course
the cause of all the world’s ills!

From the Melon Farmers:

Update: 18 Lads…

Report to suggest age ratings for UK magazines

Based on article from independent.co.uk

The Top Shelf Report, commissioned by Labour MP Claire Curtis-Thomas,
will next week recommend that popular men’s magazines and newspapers
such as the Daily Sport be given age-appropriate “16″ and “18″
certificates.

A nationwide investigation has revealed that newsagents across the UK
are flouting current guidelines and displaying what are, in effect,
adult magazines at the eye-level of children aged six to 15 – which
has led to a government proposal that they be subject to the same age
classifications as films, with some titles off-limits to under-18s.

The display of lads’ mags is currently governed by a voluntary code
of practice drawn up by the Periodical Publishers Associations (PPA)
and the Home Office, which recommends that retailers display them
well above children’s eye level and away from children’s titles or
comics.

The report, which has cross-party support from MPs, points out that
films screened or sold in the UK are classified by the British Board
of Film Classification (BBFC) and that TV broadcasters must adhere to
a 9pm watershed that prevents programmes unsuitable for under-18s
being shown before this, yet nothing similar exists for the
mainstream press.

Ben Todd, the editor of Zoo, said: We should be treated like a cheeky
seaside postcard. In our case, the most revealing aspect is topless
pictures, which is no more than you see in The Sun or the Daily Star.
So, if any sort of age-restrictions are going to be introduced, I’d
expect them to include those papers, too.

The report recommends that the Daily Sport be given an “18″
certificate due to the numerous adverts for prostitutes which it
contains.

Think giving lads mags age ratings will silence the anti-lads mags
lobby? Will it fuck! Cos once they get age ratings and then lads mags
put on the top shelf they will as we all know call for lads mags to
be banned completly!